In order to keep my painting process reasonably sharp (mainly color mixing) I keep a supply of primed 28mm wargame figures within reach of my bench.  When I get into a bit of a rut with my painting, these little guys are great for getting myself started again.  I think it’s beacuse they are so small, and in most cases such fun to paint, and as a result, I don’t take them too seriously.

Like a lot of creative processes, when we relax that little bit the process flows that bit better.  My favourite analogy is Golf  – sometimes the harder one tries and the more technical it becomes, that “difficult to describe” touch becomes lost in the effort – whereas, when we relax a little bit -( even put a smile on our face) and let it happen so to speak  – the result is more pleasing and we get transported to a better place in our heads – and all sorts of things are possible – “enough I hear you cry”!! (like my students) – now back to the painting:

As a result of  not really feeling up to painting anything larger, I took these two little guys up today and I kept the values tight – (no more than three) and the objective was to finish them in one sitting – and I think they finished up rather well – and more importantly, I can’t wait to paint a few more!   The guy with the goggles is supposed to be Biggles (not sure who the maker is) and the other is supposed to be a German WWII General von Paulus – from Black Tree Design.